For the Dancing and the Dreaming
by firerwolf
Summary: Short Hiccastrid story. Spoilers for How to Train your Dragon 2.
1. Chapter 1

Hiccup paced back and forth across the small ledge on the side of the stone cliff. He'd found this spot some time ago while he was exploring further away from Berk, and it was one of his favorites. The cliffs in this area had vegetation that produced beautiful blue flowers, the color of the ocean below. Toothless lay nearby, ignoring his friend's worrying as he stretched out in the sun and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. Hiccup ignored the dragon as well, continuing to pace as he went through the plan over and over, wanting to be sure nothing went wrong.

Hiccup's gaze turned to the sky as he heard a familiar sound and he spotted the Deadly Nadder that was gliding toward them. He took a deep breath as the rider on the Nadder came into view. The woman on the dragon's back waved back as she neared, and Hiccup just smiled as she approached. He watched her golden-blond hair sway in the breeze and the fur of her hood flutter. Hiccup may have been the best dragonrider on Berk, but Astrid seemed to make riding look like a real art form. As Stormfly descended Astrid leaned back so she remained upright even as the dragon jerked forward at the force of her landing. The Nadder's arrival got Toothless' attention and he sat up, letting out an excited noise as Astrid dismounted.

"So, why did you need me to come all the way out here?" Astrid asked, patting Stormfly's side as the dragons moved to greet each other. "You should be back on Berk, doing all your chiefly stuff; but here you are, still looking out at the open sky like you want to run off and explore all of it."

Hiccup moved over to meet her and smiled at her teasing. "I'm not looking at the sky," he said with a lop-sided smile.

"You're still using that old line?" Astrid rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "So why did you want to meet me here anyway?" She moved toward one of the bushes and knelt down, taking a deep breath and smelling the flowers. "I always loved this spot."

"I needed a break from the village and all the people needing my time. I also wanted some time where it could be just you and me, so we can talk." Hiccup moved over to join her, trying to sound causal; but he must have given something away because she looked at him and narrowed her gaze just a bit. Hiccup grabbed one of the flowers and broke it off at the stem. He then slipped the blossom into the braid along the left side of Astrid's head.

"The pressure of being chief getting to you?" Astrid asked, smiling at the gesture. "I thought you were getting the hang of it. You seem less tired at the end of the day, and you've been doing night flights with Toothless sometimes so I thought you were handling it."

"I'm not doing too badly," Hiccup assured her. "Sure, I still hit stubborn situations...but I'm learning to worry less, or to get people to just do as I say. How have things been at the academy? I heard my mother was helping you out with today's class."

"She showed up, but she exactly didn't help today," Astrid began. "I think she just wanted to get an idea of how I run things, as I want to bring her in on more lessons because she knows so much." Astrid paused for a moment and then grinned. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you - I rode on Cloudjumper today."

"My mother let you ride him?" Hiccup asked, surprised. It wasn't that he thought his mother wouldn't trust Astrid on her dragon, but Cloudjumper was little particular. "He let you ride him?"

"Don't sound so shocked," Astrid said as she crossed her arms. "I believe I've ridden more dragons than you have."

"You've ridden Stormfly and Cloudjumper," Hiccup said. "I've ridden Stormfly and Toothless."

"You didn't ride Stormfly solo," Astrid countered. "I've ridden Stormfly, Toothless, Cloudjumper, and Hookfang. I'd ride Meatlug too, but she's practically glued to Fishlegs."

"I forced you to ride Hookfang, and to be honest that was a favor to Hookfang to get him away from Snotlout." Hiccup felt stupid for forgetting about when they had been younger and he'd tried to stop the fighting between Astrid and the bull-headed male Viking. "What, haven't flown Barf or Belch?" Hiccup teased as he moved over and set his hands on her elbows.

"Give me some time and I'll be riding them both at the same time." Astrid uncrossed her arms and he slid his hands down to hold her hands. "Almost as though they were the same dragon."

"Now you're just talking crazy," hiccup joked, squeezing Astrid's hands lightly. Astrid laughed and returned the gesture. "I'm glad Cloudjumper let you ride him. He really is picky, so that just shows even he can't deny how amazing you are."

"Wow, you're really laying on the honey. Why don't you just give me the hatchet?" Astrid tried to make it seem like she was joking, but he could tell she was bracing for bad news.

"No hatchet," Hiccup quickly assured her, not wanting Astrid to worry. "Just pots and pots of honey."

Astrid smiled slightly, but she still seemed worried. "Then why did you want me to come out here?"

Hiccup took a deep breath and decided he couldn't put it off any longer. He dropped Astrid's hands and motioned toward his Night Fury. "Toothless! Come on, Bud." The black dragon turned to them and quickly bounded over, stopping behind Hiccup.

"Where are we going?" Astrid asked, motioning to Stormfly to come over as well.

"Somewhere big," Hiccup answered, reaching out and taking Astrid's hands again. "But you don't need Stormfly to get there." The female Viking furrowed her brow in confusion at his statement. Hiccup turned back to Toothless and nodded. The dragon then began to sing; or more appropriately, make sounds in a pattern that resembled a song - something which Hiccup had taught him with great frustration and difficulty. Hiccup took a deep breath and waited for the song to reach its loop before he began.

"I'll soar and sail on savage skies, with ne'er a fear of falling." Hiccup had practiced the song over and over but he was careful to try to stay on key as he sang. "And gladly ride the winds of life, if you will marry me." Hiccup could feel his hands sweating but Astrid appeared to ignore it. "No scorching sun, nor freezing cold, will stop me on my journey." Hiccup took a step forward and let his forehead rest against hers. "If you will promise me your heart, and love me for eternity."

Hiccup took a breath to continue, but was cut off by Astrid picking up where he left off. "My dearest one my darling dear, your mighty words astound me." Hiccup was surprised that she knew the words, but all the more by her voice. He'd heard her sing group songs in the mead hall, but those were loud and raucous while her voice right now was soft and quiet. "But I've no need of mighty deeds, when I feel your arms around me." Hiccup released her hands and she stepped forward, allowing him to wrap his arms around her.

"But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry." Hiccup remembered how his parents had sped up the song at this point, but with toothless keeping the beat Hiccup had to keep melody steady. He didn't mind at all, he didn't really want to rush himself. "And I would keep you from all harm, if you would stay beside me." He moved a hand to brush the bangs from her face so he could see her eyes before gently touching her cheek.

"I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry." Astrid raised a hand and held his hand on her cheek and Hiccup moved his hand so they could intertwine their fingers. "I only want your hand to hold, I only want you near me."

Astrid shifted to place her head on his shoulder. "To love to kiss to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming," they sang together. Hiccup placed a light kiss on her head and squeezed her hand. "Through all life's sorrow and delights, I'll keep your love beside me."

Hiccup took a step back suddenly and motioned behind him. Astrid looked at him confused as Toothless stopped making noise. Hiccup smiled and knew it was now or never. "I'll soar and sail on savage skies, with ne'er a fear of falling." Hiccup reached out and took one of her hands in his. "And gladly ride the winds of life..." Hiccup dropped down to one knee and stopped singing. "If you'll marry me, Astrid."

Astrid smiled down at him and placed her other hand on his. "You changed up the lyrics a little."

"Well we don't do much sailing these days, but we do a lot of flying. Seemed the words needed to be updated." Hiccup smiled and stood up, and shrugged. "I didn't know you knew the words to that song."

"Your mother sang it for me," Astrid explained. "I had her teach it to me because I thought it was so beautiful." She paused for a moment and laughed to herself. "Should have figured you'd use your parents' song."

"I have my reasons," Hiccup tried to defend. "The first time I heard that song it was right after my parents had met up again. My father started singing it to my mother, and they worked themselves into laughter and big smiles. I'd never seen my dad be that kind of happy, like everything was right in the world and there weren't any fears or worries. It made me realize that with a woman you love you can find peace no matter what. And you've always had my back, given me strength when I faltered. When I'm with you I feel that way, like all the bad things in the world just go away because I have you." Hiccup glanced toward the ground and then back to her. "So what do you say?"

"Oh, were you actually asking?" Astrid asked with a grin.

"No, I'm just messing around," Hiccup said with heavy sarcasm. "I certainly didn't fight with Toothless for five days to teach him that song, scout out and choose the best spot, and practice singing until I could go through the whole thing without making a single mistake for anything other than a joke." Hiccup laughed to himself for a moment. "Yes, I'm asking you to marry me."

"I thought you were just doing that as a formality. I mean, you know my answer already," Astrid said in her normal confident way that Hiccup couldn't help but smile at.

"I'll take that as Astrid for 'yes'," Hiccup said, feeling some relief.

Astrid struck out and hit the controls on his waist, causing the fin on his back to spring open. "Duh."

Hiccup sighed at the action but still smiled. "Are you ever going to get tired of that joke?"

"I will when it isn't funny," Astrid retorted.

"I think it stopped being funny a while ago," Hiccup argued.

"Not to me," Astrid shot back.

Hiccup reached out, quickly grabbing her wrist and tugging her toward him. "Come here," he said before he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her against him. He kissed her firmly as he hugged his fiancé tight.

Astrid let her head rest on his shoulder again and a hand moved up to play with the braids she'd made in his hair. "I've been ready for a while. I was just waiting on you."

"Sorry I took so long," Hiccup said with a light chuckle. They stood together until the sun started to set and Toothless disturbed them, requesting a night flight. "Come on, Buddy, you're ruining the moment."

Astrid stepped away from him and a mischievous smirk crossed her face. "I don't know, a little flight seems like a good idea to me." Stormfly appeared beside her and before Hiccup could protest she'd mounted the dragon. "Last one to the cove is Yak-Nog!"

Hiccup smiled at the challenge as the Astrid and her Nadder took off and soared away. "Well we can't be Yak-Nogs," Hiccup said before climbing aboard Toothless, opening the artificial tail, and taking off after the others.


	2. Flight Lesson

Flight Lesson

Astrid breathed deep as she soared through the air, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the wind whipping around her. Her eyes were closed, reveling in the freedom that came with riding a dragon. Astrid opened her eyes and leaned down, patting Stormfly's neck. "Keep steady, girl," she said, receiving a squawk of acknowledgment from her Nadder. Astrid gripped the handles she'd installed on her saddle and took a deep breath, and with one quick movement she was up and crouching on the dragon's back. She released the handles and stood, arms out to help her keep her balance. She'd been practicing her wing-walking whenever she got the chance; having found that better understanding the motions of her dragon in flight helped them ride together better. Well that, and it was just a great feeling to be standing on the back of a dragon, flying over the ocean.

"How do you make that look so easy?" The words caused Astrid to open her eyes, turning to look at the a Night Fury and his rider gliding beside her. Hiccup sat on his dragon as casually as though he were sitting in a chair at home, not miles above the ocean. He smiled at her with a slightly uneven grin and adoration in his eyes. It was a look he only gave to people he cared about, like her or Toothless.

"It's simple," Astrid answered, shouting to be heard over the wind. "I have two feet and my dragon can fly without my help."

"Oh, low blow," Hiccup responded, but the smile on his face made it clear he wasn't actually insulted. "Why do you have to wound me like that?"

"Because you're too far away to hit with my fists," Astrid quipped, and was rewarded with a laugh from her boyfriend. "So why did you call me out here?"

"I've got a special, private lesson for you," Hiccup answered before he and Toothless dove down toward the sea stacks below them.

Astrid frowned at his mildly cryptic answer. She didn't know what kind of lesson he'd need to give her privately, but he had her interest. Astrid crouched down, grabbing the handles and sliding back into her normal riding position. "Well, let's see what they've got for us, Stormfly." The Nadder let out an excited squawk and dove down after the Night Fury. When Stormfly landed, Hiccup had already dismounted and was walking over. Hiccup held his hand out to help her down and Astrid frowned at him. "Really?"

Still, it was hard to deny Hiccup when he was trying to be sweet, particularly when he gave her one of his charming smiles. She reached out and took his hand as she climbed down. He leaned over and placed a quick peck on her cheek, not releasing her hand. "How else am I supposed to come up with an excuse to hold your hand?"

Astrid just rolled her eyes but didn't complain and instead focused on other things. "Made new additions to your flight suit?" She motioned to some patches on the black leather he wore.

Hiccup dropped her hand, his attention moved to showing her what new things he'd added. "I made a place to keep parchment." He opened it to show her the sheets he'd already stored there, and I've added some more padding for the places that can get sore when flying." He showed her where he'd attached harder leather to make himself more comfortable. "I mean, it's always a work in progress, but I think that these additions will make map making a bit easier."

"Is that your super special lesson for today? You're going to teach me map making?" Astrid asked, knowing that until now Hiccup had been the only one who'd been able to make additions to the map of the lands surrounding Berk.

"No, we don't need to be on a sea stack for me to teach you that," Hiccup said with a slight chuckle. "Not to mention I can teach that to anyone. This lesson is just for you." His face fell a bit, becoming more serious as he moved to the edge of the sea stack and stared out at the water. "You remember how recently I got sick and I was in bed for three weeks?"

"You know I do," Astrid said as she moved to his side. She'd spent time at his bedside when he was ill, changing the cloth on his forehead and bringing him food as he got better. Astrid lifted a hand and her fingers gently touched his shaggy hair. He'd really started to let it grow out and she'd found it comforting and familiar to touch it and mess with the longer strands.

"Well that got me thinking," Hiccup said, turning slightly in her direction. "If that happens again, or if something worse happens-"

"Nothing's going to happen," Astrid asserted, more for her own benefit. Hiccup had a penchant for getting himself into dangerous situations and just barely getting out.

Hiccup smiled softly in his usual way of showing appreciation for her concern, and turned his full attention to her. "If something happens and I'm sick or out of commission for a long time, Toothless won't be able to fly without me." His smile grew wider as he got himself more excited and he was unable to contain it. He undid a clasp on his suit and pulled out a sheet of paper before closing it again. "So last night Toothless and I had a little discussion and…"

Hiccup held the paper out and Astrid took it, unfolding it to see several diagrams. "You drew me a series of…I don't know what they are," she admitted, unable to even come up with a good guess.

"Foot angles," Hiccup answered, still grinning as he waited for her to get it. Astrid stared at the pictures again for a moment and then shook her head, not really understanding how it was supposed to look like a foot. Hiccup, realizing that she didn't understand, reached over and grabbed her wrist, directing her toward Toothless' side. He took the paper and held it up to the side of the Night Fury with the tail controls.

Astrid leaned in a bit closer and examined it again for a moment. She then stood up and shook her head. "Nope, doesn't look like a foot to me."

Hiccup sighed in frustration but still smiled. "Be serious," he urged with a slight laugh. "I want to teach you how to ride Toothless so if I can't he has someone he can turn to."

"Doesn't your dad know how to ride him?" Astrid asked.

"My dad knows how to fly him, but he doesn't ride like you or me. He doesn't fly for casual reasons like Toothless likes." Hiccup moved to the dragon's side patted the Night Fury. "You understand a love of flying, not just gliding around." Toothless let out a sound that he agreed and moved toward Astrid. The dragon circled her and then turned his head to nudge her toward the saddle.

"Fine, you don't have to be so pushy," Astrid said, playfully shoving Toothless' head. She climbed onto the saddle as the dragon wanted. She jumped as Hiccup's hands touched her waist. "What are you doing?" she snapped.

Hiccup chuckled and smiled as he pushed her forward in the saddle. "You're the one flying him, remember. You'll need to make room for me." Hiccup climbed up behind her and settled onto the seat. "Now, here's your cheat sheet." He handed the paper with the angles back to her.

Astrid took it and set it on the saddle ahead of her, looking down at the diagram. She set her foot beside the controls for the tail and started to shift her foot to try to match the pictures. She mouthed the numbers as she shifted her foot into each of the angles, trying to memorize each of them. Hiccup's hand touched Astrid's leg and she turned to shout at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hiccup moved her foot so that it was on the pedal for the artificial tail. "If you actually move the tail I'll have a better chance of telling you if you're doing it right." He turned and looked back to the tail and Astrid resumed her motions. "Someone seems a bit moody about me touching them today," he commented.

"I'm trying to focus, Hiccup. Stop distracting me," Astrid responded, a bit defensive. His touch was making it harder to focus on the motions and memorizing them.

"You're doing fine, Astrid," Hiccup assured her. "Your angles are good and the tail is shifting correctly." Hiccup started to call out numbers and Astrid matched it with the proper angle. "You're catching on quick," Hiccup commented.

"Well I am me," Astrid said a bit smugly, proud of how fast she'd memorized the positions and numbers. "You always make this look so complicated, but it's really not that hard."

"Oh, it's really not that hard?" Hiccup asked in a slightly mocking tone. His arms wrapped around her torso and he smiled over her shoulder. "Then how about we see how well you do. Bud?"

Astrid gripped the saddle just in time for the Night Fury to run forward and launch himself off the sea stack. They dropped like a rock, the dragon's wings Tucked tight to his body. "What in the name of Thor is wrong with you!" Astrid shouted.

"If it's so easy, then fly," Hiccup instructed, clearly taunting her. "We're falling, so what are you going to do?"

"Hit you," Astrid snapped, trying to focus on what she knew. She shifted her foot but still they fell, Toothless keeping his wings folded.

"Astrid, we're still falling," Hiccup observed, sounding a bit panicked now. "Position three," he told her, his arms wrapping around her a bit tighter.

"I am in position three. He's the one that's not," Astrid complained, annoyed that Toothless was messing with them. "Open your tail," she ordered but the dragon ignored her.

"Toothless, open up your tail, bud," Hiccup requested, his grip getting a bit tighter around Astrid's body.

The water was coming up fast and Astrid could only grip the saddle tight as she tried to pull back and force the dragon up. Without warning the Night Fury snapped his wings opened and spread his tail, slowing their decent. The water was still getting closer and Astrid leaned back, trying to somehow help slow them, but there was little else she could do but hope the dragon had reacted in time. They slowed and Toothless evened out, skimming over the surface of the water. Astrid jerked back and Toothless rose up, giving them some distance between them and the ocean.

"Sea stacks," Hiccup warned as the large stone towers loomed in their path.

"I can see them," Astrid retorted, leaning to the right, away from the closest sea stack. Toothless angled and they glided toward the right, around the obstacle. She leaned to the left and moved along the edge of the pillar to move clear of the next one. They moved around the edge of the second sea stack and Astrid leaned with the dragon's movements to angle toward the gap between a couple sea stacks ahead of them.

"You're doing...surprisingly well," Hiccup admitted, though he sounded a bit annoyed that she wasn't failing.

"What's wrong? Upset that I didn't buckle under the pressure?" Astrid asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Not at all. At what point have you ever not been absolutely perfect at something from the start?" Hiccup smiled at her, but she could see a bit of frustration. Hiccup had always seemed to use the success of others to look down on himself and what he did.

"Well, I've been watching you for years," Astrid said, now wanting him not to get too down on himself. Hiccup smiled just a little more and he hugged her tighter for a second, thanking her for the considerate words. "So, how about we see how Toothless matches up against Stormfly?"

"Uh, I think I've had enough scares for one day," Hiccup said with a slight laugh. "It is only your first lesson, so maybe we can hold off on that until later."

Astrid smiled at him and turned to speak to Toothless. "Seems you scared the fun out of Hiccup." The Night Fury looked back at her and Astrid grinned. "What do you say we find it again?" She leaned forward in the saddle, laying flatter against the dragon. Without further urging Toothless let loose, picking up speed as they threaded between the sea stacks.

Astrid let Toothless take the lead, reacting to his motions with each turn and tucking in the tail when she needed to. After years of flying with Stormfly she was used to fast speeds and having to react quickly to her dragon's movements, but Toothless was on another level. She was frustrated with how slow her reaction time was and how sloppy her foot movements seemed. They passed the last of the sea stacks and they angled up, gaining altitude. Astrid relaxed in her seat and looked back to see Stormfly moving to meet them. Toothless leveled out and the Deadly Nadder moved to glide beside them.

Astrid looked over her shoulder to Hiccup who was still clinging tight to her, with his face against her back. "Are you two done?" he asked, though the words were muffled.

"For now," Astrid said, smirking in satisfaction. Hiccup relaxed his grip and let out a long, relieved breath. "Didn't trust me and my skills?"

"Of course I trusted your skills at flying a dragon you just started riding today," Hiccup replied in his classic sarcastic tone.

"Good, so you trust me when I do this." Astrid closed the tail and Toothless let out a roar of surprise as they began to fall against his will. The dragon spread his wings in an attempt to slow his descent, but without his tail it was hard to control. Astrid could hear Stormfly's cry of surprise and knew the Nadder was following them.

Astrid waited until she was sure the Night Fury was good and panicked before she opened the tail fully, letting them slow and level out. She sat tall in her seat as they finally evened out and Toothless growled back at her. "Not so funny when you don't have control," she commented, showing no fear to the agitated dragon. "You don't mess with me, I won't mess with you. What do you say?" Toothless just stared forward for a moment before he grumbled like a teenager reluctantly agreeing with their parent. Astrid patted the dragon's side and smiled at him. "Don't be such a grump; you're fairly fun to fly with. I can't stand on you, but you've got some good speed." Toothless looked back at her and let out a low rumble, accepting the compliment.

"Good to see you two are getting along," Hiccup said, pulling Astrid's attention back to him. "But can we please land?"

"Fine," Astrid agreed reluctantly, turning toward the closest sea stack. They landed and Astrid slid down, going to calm Stormfly as the worried Nadder moved to check on her rider. Astrid scratched lightly at the dragon's chin, letting Hiccup dismount. As soon as he was on solid ground she turned to him and her fist hit his shoulder. He let out a pained sound and looked at her, annoyed. "That was for scaring me like that," she snapped. She then moved over to Toothless and smiled at the dragon, reaching down to scratch his chin. "And that is for everything else."

"Come on, I don't get anything," hiccup complained, rubbing at his shoulder where he'd been struck. Astrid sighed and moved to Hiccup's side, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Better," hiccup said with a slight smile.

"Oh, don't complain. You really didn't do anything, it was all him." She motioned toward Toothless and then walked over to Stormfly. "Let's head home. I think we've used enough of the day scaring you.

"Very funny," Hiccup grumbled before he mounted Toothless and the two teens took off.

Astrid moved through the village, having finally finished all her work for the day. She had decided to make a quick stop by the forge and get an idea of what work Hiccup expected they'd need to do tomorrow. Before she even got close she could hear the pounding of hammers and knew that he was busy. Astrid considered disturbing him, but figured it was better not to get in the way.

As she passed by though she spotted Toothless, laying outside the forge and looking annoyed. "He too busy to fly?" Astrid asked, moving to the dragon's side. Toothless lifted his head and let out a sad noise. "Well you know," Astrid said as she stood beside the dragon. "If he's too busy you have options." Toothless stood up, intrigued by her words. "Hiccup isn't the only one who knows how to fly you now." She moved to his side and placed a hand on the Night Fury's saddle. "And we should really work on our turns. They were horrible." Toothless crouched slightly, offering for her to climb aboard. Astrid settled into the saddle and slipped her foot into place, opening the tail. The Night Fury spread his wings and took off at full speed.


	3. Training

Training

Astrid stood in the training academy, looking over the class of young Vikings waiting for their lesson on dragons. This would be the beginning of their education on how to properly train a dragon, which would hopefully lead to getting their own dragon to ride in the coming years. The more experienced dragon riders had set up the learning program after incidents with younger Vikings - like what had happened with Gustav. They didn't want anyone putting themselves in danger, so it seemed like an educational program was the best way to prevent tragedy. Today though, they'd be taking part in something Astrid hadn't done in a long time…Learning about new dragons.

"All right, quiet down," Astrid called, getting the attention of the class. "Today we're going to have a special lesson, one in which all of us will learn. Today we're going to try to train and learn about some of the newer dragon species that are now living on Berk." It had been some time since the Bewilderbeast had been driven away, and many of the dragons that had been under its control stayed and made their home on Berk rather than leave. If it hadn't been for all the repairs that needed to be done to the village they would have already had this lesson, but there had just been so much to do and no time for adding to the Book of Dragons. But now that the work was through they finally had a chance to catch up and handle the village's newest inhabitants. "Today you'll see firsthand how experienced riders handle a new dragon."

"And we'll be directly adding our findings into the Book of Dragons," Fishlegs added, obviously excited. He did love learning new things and finding new dragons. He was also excellent at taking notes on their findings and compiling them in the book.

"Blah, blah, blah," Snotlout spoke up in his usual inpatient voice. "Can we get going? We already know what we're doing and they're just going to watch." Snotlout motioned toward the class that was listening intently. "Hiccup told us to learn about new dragons, so why aren't we doing that?"

Astrid felt anger rise up but she pushed it down quickly, not wanting to fight with the obnoxious Viking. "Properly training a new dragon is important," she reminded him, not that he'd ever listen. She needed to get them all under control again and keep the class focused. Not only was this an important class for the students, but it was important to Astrid as they had a guest that day. Sitting to the side and watching all of what was happening was Valka, with Cloudjumper sitting beside her. Stoick had always adored Astrid, looking forward to the day she would became his daughter-in-law; but it seemed like all at once that changed now that Stoick was gone, and Astrid didn't know what Valka thought of her. She wasn't like Stoick who applauded Astrid's strength and skills, but was more like Hiccup. The only thing that Astrid could think would impress Valka would be showing her how well she could train dragons. Now If only the other riders would cooperate and not ruin everything, but that might be too much to ask for.

"I know how to properly train dragons," Snotlout snapped, crossing his arms. "I trained Hookfang perfectly."

Just like that the perfect opportunity arose to not only teach the class but maybe even show Valka how good she was with dragons. "Oh really?" Astrid challenged. Snotlout braced himself, able to see what was coming and his anger already starting to show. "Hookfang," Astrid called to the Monstrous Nightmare and motioned for him to come to her. The dragon walked over quickly, it's tail smacking into Snotlout as it passed him, knocking the Viking off his feet. Astrid put out her hands and Hookfang eagerly moved so his jaw was settled against her touch. She scratched lightly at the dragon's chin, a reward for his obedience.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted as he got to his feet. "I didn't tell you to go anywhere. Get back here." Hookfang turned away from Astrid for a moment before turning back to her for more affection.

"There's a perfect example of why you need to properly train a dragon," Astrid told the class. She reached up and grabbed the dragon's horn that was furthest from her, tugged it toward her, and quickly jumped up and put her foot on the second horn. The Monstrous Nightmare's horns were forced to the ground, much to the dragon's joy. Astrid released the dragon and Hookfang lifted his head. "Go on over and wait with the others," she instructed and motioned toward the other dragons that were sitting to the side. Hookfang moved away to join them, being sure to lift his tail and miss Astrid as he turned around. She then stepped back and motioned to Fishlegs.

Fishlegs stepped forward and stood up a bit taller before addressing the class. "We have three new species that we want to learn about today. The Hobblegrunt, Raincutter, and the Snafflefang," he informed them. "We'll be heading out and trying to find some of these dragons and see what we can learn about them."

"What about the Stormcutter," Valka spoke up from her seat to the side. She looked up to Cloudjumper who tilted his head to the side.

"Well there's only one Stormcutter on Berk and he's already trained," Fishlegs pointed out. "You already know all about them so we don't really need to study that species."

"Who said I was going to tell you anything about Cloudjumper?" Valka asked, a grin on her face. "I think you should learn it for yourselves."

Fishlegs looked stunned by the woman's words and turned to Astrid. She stepped forward, looking to Cloudjumper. "If he's willing to take part," she said, not wanting to assume the dragon would agree. Astrid knew Cloudjumper was sometimes rather reserved, so he might not be willing to let other people handle him.

The dragon seemed to hesitate, looking to his rider for guidance. "Go on," Valka urged.

Cloudjumper moved toward them and Astrid felt Fishelgs cower slightly. Although he loved finding out about new dragons, he didn't have much stomach for danger. "How about you write down what we find out?" Astrid asked, giving Fishlegs a way out of having to face the large dragon.

"Yeah, good idea," Fishlegs agreed, moving over to a barrel, grabbing the book of dragons, and setting up to take notes.

"How about if you let me take this one?" Snotlout asked as he moved toward the large dragon.

Astrid moved in the way to stop him and set her hands on her hips. "Or you could not and wait until you have to deal with a dragon that won't kill you when you anger it." Snotlout glared at her but she didn't back down and he finally turned and backed off. Astrid stepped forward and Cloudjumper eyed her, seeming disinterested.

"So we've got a dragon species we know very little about," Astrid began, remembering the class that was still watching her. "He isn't noticeably hostile, and seems to be relaxed. What is the first step?" None of the students said anything, to Astrid's slight disappointment. "Snotlout, do you know what the first step is?"

"Toss a fish at it," Snotlout answered, though he didn't sound sure of himself.

"No," Astrid responded, taking a deep breath and focusing fully on Cloudjumper. "The first step is to be sure that you have no weapons on you. You don't want to seem like a threat to a dragon you're trying to train, and that is the opposite of what you want. I know my axe and dagger are on Stormfly's saddle so I'm completely unarmed." She held her hands up to show she was without weapon and Cloudjumper tilted his head to the side, watching her. "If a dragon seems uncomfortable with other dragons it might be a good idea to have any dragons you brought with you back away." Astrid motioned to the dragons that were in the arena and they backed up. Stormfly let out a threatening cry, but still backed away with the others. Cloudjumper watched the other dragons for a moment before he turned his attention back to Astrid.

"Now we can begin trying to actually train the dragon as we're sure it doesn't seem threatened." Astrid moved over to a barrel, being sure to keep an eye on Cloudjumper as she would with any wild dragon that might attack. Without looking away she lifted the lid of the barrel and grabbed a fish from inside. "Offering food is an excellent way to start forging a bond with a dragon." She held the fish out to Cloudjumper and the dragon tentatively took it, swallowing the offered treat down. "Remember though, that not all dragons eat the same thing. Most dragons will eat fish, but if they show no interest don't try to force it on them, that will make them aggressive." Cloudjumper now seemed to really be paying attention now, not just passively watching.

"Now that he's accepted food from me and he seems to understand that I want to be friends we can try testing that bond before further study." Astrid looked Cloudjumper directly in the eyes and took a deep breath before she stretched out her left hand, straightened her fingers, and shut her eyes. Astrid could feel the dragon's breath on her hand and she feared he'd turn her away. She immediately pushed that fear away, stomping it down as she had all her life when faced with failure. She felt warmth press against her hand and when she opened her eyes she could see that Cloudjumper had closed the gap, touching his nose to her hand. Astrid smiled and moved her other hand to the dragon's chin. There was a chorus of 'ooh' from the class as she scratched the large dragon's chin.

"So now we can start learning about the Stormcutter," Astrid announced, starting to scratch along the drafon's neck. Cloudjumper tilted his head, much further than any dragon Astrid had ever seen. "They have amazingly flexible necks, a regal and dignified attitude, and they like fish." She knew Fishlegs was writing all of this down in the book for future reference. "Four wings and a muscular build, so even just looking at him he's a strong flier; though we can't make many assumptions beyond that." Astrid ran a hand along the dragon's neck. "Beautiful scales, large crest, horns, and long tail, which with the four wings make one easy to identify from a distance." She reached into a pouch on her belt and grabbed a handful of the plant inside. Cloudjumper turned and sniffed curiously at the foreign substance. It only took one good sniff before Cloudjumper was rubbing his face against the plant, eyes closed slightly. Astrid rubbed the plant against the dragon and Cloudjumper's body went limp, completely relaxed. "Likes dragon-nip," Astrid observed, tucking the bit of dragon-nip she'd been using away. Cloudjumper shook his body and sat up, trying to regain some dignity after having been collapsed on the ground from a plant. "How about eels?" Astrid asked, turning to Snotlout and motioning to him to get an eel. She put up a hand as she noticed Cloudjumper bristled a bit at the mention of eels. "I think we can actually skip that one. Doesn't like eels, extremely intelligent, and understands human speech well - though that might be partially because of his rider."

Astrid turned to her class and addressed them. "Those are some of our most basic tests that we do with a brand new dragon. As you should have noticed I made observations based off of the dragon's reaction to words or items, its attitude toward myself and its mannerisms in general, and made a basic physical observation for simple identification. For today that's more than enough to learn about a brand new dragon. Most other discoveries have to be made over time or found just by experimenting. You're all dismissed," she announced.

The class filed out of the arena and Astrid stayed at Cloudjumper's side, scratching at areas she knew most dragons enjoyed. "That's an impressive technique you've got," Valka said as she moved over to join Astrid.

"It's Hiccup's system," Astrid informed her, smiling as she found a spot on the Stormcutter's neck that caused his eyes to shut. "It's how he trained Toothless, and how he taught us. Though I've found it only works sometimes. I once tried it on a Nightmare but he didn't respond well to the outstretched hand. I had to twist his horns to the ground before he trusted me enough to let me ride him."

"Why did you need to train a Nightmare? Stormfly seems like an excellent dragon." Valka looked to the blue Nadder who had moved to join them.

"Stormfly wasn't with me. It was all a part of the plan to get the Book of Dragons back from Alvin: get in, convince him to let me try to train a dragon, train it, and then fly away." Astrid shifted her hand on Cloudjumper's neck and he suddenly fell to the ground, her scratching having finally hit the right place. "Found his chin spot," Astrid said triumphantly.

Valka laughed as her dragon recovered, seeming a bit indignant. "You've got a good touch with 'em, that's for sure. It's obvious just from how well you and Stormfly work together during the races."

"We are the current champs," Astrid said proudly. She and Stormfly worked all the time on their speed, maneuvering, and creative flying so they could stay on top. They have to or else Snotlout and Fishlegs would just hand every race to the twins. "She's nice and fast, great at quick changes in course, and she's just as competitive as I am. Had to believe at one point I was trying to kill her." Astrid turned toward the Nadder who stepped closer. "I raised an axe to her in hatred and even hit her once. I would have hurt her too, if the axe had to been stuck in Hiccup's shield." She reached out and gently touched the muzzle of her dragon. "Now I couldn't imagine doing anything to her in anger." Stormfly stepped nearer and nuzzled against her rider.

"She seems like the perfect dragon for you. Fast, smart, and a fighter," Valka observed.

"Yeah, she really is. I've ridden Hookfang before and it wasn't bad, but I love the speed and agility that Stormfly has. Monstrous Nightmares do have a lot of fire power, but they give up maneuverability for wing strength. From the looks of it, though, a Monstrous Nightmare has nothing on the wing strength of a dragon like Cloudjumper."

"Oh, you haven' felt strength till you've ridden on a Stormcutter," Valka agreed. "You can feel it with each beat of his wings."

"You can't feel it with a Nightmare, because you have to sit up by the head and the wings are so far away. Stormfly doesn't have as much strength to her wings but her whole body really moves with each flap," Astrid explained. "Even when flying Toothless you don't really feel the beat of the dragon's wings."

"It's quite the sensation," Valka told her, smiling at the Stormcutter. Cloudjumper looked between his rider and Astrid before his gaze fell on Astrid for a full second. Astrid was surprised when the large dragon knelt down to allow her to mount him. "Seems he wants you to find out first hand."

Astrid didn't hesitate, knowing that she couldn't pass up a chance like this and climbed up onto the Stormcutter. He was wider than Stormfly, and riding the dragon already felt foreign just as she settled into place. Cloudjumper spread his top wings, shifted back onto his rear legs, and spread his lower wings. Astrid could feel the muscles moving under her and they weren't even in flight yet. Cloudjumper pushed off from the ground and it was such an alien feeling as they suddenly jerked into the sky and the four wings went to work. They rose up into the sky with ease and Cloudjumper moved out from under the raised case roof and out into the open air.

Astrid could only hold on as the dragon rose, dove, and spun as he showed off his speed and agility. When Cloudjumper finally landed back in the arena, Astrid was grinning from ear to ear when she finally slid down from the dragon's back. "That was amazing," she said, scratching the side of Cloudjumper's neck. "Thank you for the ride." Cloudjumper nuzzled her lightly and Astrid turned toward her fellow riders. "I've got a lot more information for the book," she informed Fishlegs.

"It can wait until later. Ruffnut stopped by while you were flying and said Hiccup wanted you to meet him by the Big Yawn Cliffs," the portly Viking informed her.

"He has got to stop letting Toothless name the places he finds," Astrid complained. "Fine, I'll find you later and tell you more that you can put into the book." She moved over to Stormfly and climbed aboard; hoping that whatever Hiccup needed wouldn't take too long.


	4. Paint

Paint

Astrid slowly moved the brush over her dragon's scales, being careful to keep her hand steady as she applied the paint. Stormfly was absolutely still, able to feel her rider's concentration and knowing how important this was. It wasn't enough that they planned on trouncing the opposition - they were going to look the best doing it. Astrid took a step back and looked the dragon over and nodded, satisfied with the lines. This was their first time using this new design, but Astrid felt it was an improvement over their last one.

"I see you've been experimenting with your paint," Hiccup observed, causing her to turn around to look at him. "Not enough to just fly better than everyone else. Gotta look better than the rest while doing it too."

"Well if we're going to get all painted, we might as well do a proper job." Astrid turned to Toothless as the black dragon approached her. The Night Fury nuzzled against her hands in a bid for some attention and affection. Astrid obliged, scratching behind the dragon's jaw. She looked the dragon over and frowned at Hiccup. "You're not going to compete?" Toothless was completely bare of any racing paint, so Astrid already knew the answer.

"I was going to head southeast and see if we could find more islands near our last discovery." Hiccup smiled, but Astrid could see that he knew she was upset. "I know you want me to compete, Astrid, but the map is more important."

"Heard that one before," Astrid muttered, dropping her hands from Toothless and turning back to Stormfly. She set to checking her saddle and insuring it was strongly secured. She couldn't risk it slipping while she was riding, particularly with her and Stormfly's acrobatic flying style.

"I know you want me to race, Astrid, but I just…I'm just not as competitive as you. Sure I love racing with you, but that's just for fun." Hiccup moved to her side, obviously trying to get her attention but she stayed focused on her task. "Besides, I don't need the embarrassment of my dad rooting for you rather than me." It was supposed to be a joke, but he sounded hesitant.

"I know you're not competitive," Astrid admitted, ignoring his attempts at humor. "But it's been months since you last raced and…" Astrid trailed off, knowing she was wasting her time. Hiccup was hardheaded and she'd learned long ago that once he'd decided to do something he couldn't be talked out of it. "Maybe I should drop out of the race as well, help you with the map." She tried to sound casual, but she really didn't to want to quit the race and she was sure he knew that.

"Although I'd love to have you come with me, you and I both know that's not what you want to do." Hiccup reached out and started checking over the straps of the saddle as well and Astrid took a step back. "You love racing, and you love shutting Snotlout up." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. "Not to mention my dad and I love you shutting him up too." Hiccup paused for a moment before he went back to checking the saddle's condition. "I'm just not feeling like racing today."

Astrid reached out, her fingers touching the longer strands of hair near the base of his neck. Her fingers started separating and twisting the strands back together, as was her habit. "I just miss when you would compete," she told him honestly. "Back then winning was an actual challenge, but the others just aren't you. They can't challenge us like you can."

"So then my dad should be very proud of you when you take the win." Hiccup ran a hand over the leather of the saddle, checking it over for wear. He stopped his motions but didn't turn around, knowing that it would ruin the braid she was working on. "Does it really bother you that much?"

Astrid tied off the braid and gave it a small tug to be sure it held strong. "No, I just miss you being a part of the races, and it would mean a lot to the village if you'd take part. You are the chief's son after all."

Hiccup turned around and she dropped the braid so it wouldn't hurt him. "And you're his future daughter-in-law, so the family's represented." Astrid smiled, always appreciating how he and his father treated her like she was already a part of their family. He reached out and took one of her hands in his. "I promise I'll take part in the next race, but not today's. You can even help me paint Toothless."

Astrid smiled, still a bit disappointed, but happy that he'd agreed to the future. "Only because you promised. And try not to get into too much trouble."

"I'll try," Hiccup agreed but they both knew trouble sometimes found him. "Join me after the race?"

"Let me think. Stay in the village and be congratulated all day…or go off to a distant land with dangerous and untrained dragons with my boyfriend." Astrid pursed her lips and then nodded as though having just made up her mind. "I'll be there. Stormfly knows Toothless' scent, so we'll be able to track you."

Hiccup turned fully around and smiled at her in his sort of innocent and charming way. "How about a kiss for luck?"

"I don't need any luck, you're not racing," Astrid informed him.

"I meant for me," Hiccup clarified. "You don't need luck, by I have a feeling I might." Astrid sighed but gave in to his request, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. She then tried to move past him to mount Stormfly but he stopped her. "I don't think that's going to be enough luck." Astrid laughed before she leaned forward again, this time giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Is that enough luck for you?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup pursed his lips and then nodded his head. "Should do," he answered. "I don't want to take all of your luck. You might need a little to keep Snotlout from running into you."

"That's very considerate of you." Astrid moved around him and mounted her dragon. "I'll see you after the race, babe."

"Good luck, m'lady," Hiccup bowed slightly and took a step back. "Not that you need it."

Astrid laughed at the comment before she patted Stormfly's side and the Nadder took off. She'd win the race, find Hiccup, and hopefully this time they wouldn't spend three hours inside a cramped cave with both their dragons while trying to keep away from an angry Timberjack.

**Author's note: I know that these chapters aren't in any exact order. This started with just the first chapter but the comments were so nice and encouraging I wrote more and as the Dancing and the Dreaming song is about being together for life, every part of it, I felt that these chapters still fall under that title so I just add them on. **


	5. Belong

Belong

Berk seemed to be only the shadow of the village that Valka had once known. That wasn't a particularly negative thing, in fact she would consider it positive, but it meant that she now felt very out of place here. Though if she was honest with herself, that was likely in large part to the twenty years spent around nothing but dragons. People just seemed so hard to understand after so much time around beasts that didn't lie and spoke partially with small gestures. In town people would smile at her and act pleasant, but they still seemed a bit uneasy around her - like they were talking to a ghost.

She'd moved into her old home with Hiccup and it felt good to be back; but at the same time it was the most painful thing. Everything reminded her of Stoick, and Hiccup himself was a constant reminder of all the lost years and of her failure as a mother. Hiccup didn't seem to hold it against her, but he still felt like a stranger to her at times, even if they did have a lot in common. She'd gotten to know him better, chatting with him while he organized his next day. She'd found out that he'd killed the queen of the local nest to stop the war, how he'd designed and tested Toothless' artificial tail, and he'd told her about the other riders. She listened with rapt attention as Hiccup spoke of his rivalry with Snotlout, working on the _Book of Dragons_ with Fishlegs, and praised Astrid.

That was how she spent her evenings, but her days were a little more complicated. Sometimes she'd help whatever construction was happening in the village, partake in the academy lessons, or on a day like this she would just go for a walk. Berk was crawling with dragons, all of them living on the island without fear of death. It was beautiful and to see so many dragons living freely warmed her heart. They hardly ever bothered her and when they did it was usually only for a quick sniff before leaving her be. Other than occasional encounters with wild dragons, it was just Valka, the forest, and her thoughts. It was nice to have time to think. This was also the ideal time to let her mind wander to her memories and sorrows. She indulged in them during these walks so as to stave them off when at home where Hiccup might notice.

The sun had sunk almost completely under the horizon as Valka made her way back toward the village. She knew Hiccup would be eating in the great hall that night, as he was having a meeting with Gobber and Fishlegs about some new construction idea so she was in no hurry. It was nice to just move at her own pace, no need to rush to help with something or needing Cloudjumper to quickly get across the village. She'd just started to drift into her own mind when there was a roar from not far away. Curious, Valka moved toward it - trying to identify the dragon by its sound. As she neared she could tell the sound as being that of a Zippleback.

What Valka found wasn't exactly what she'd expected, but she'd at least been correct about the Zippleback. What she hadn't been expecting was the familiar Deadly Nadder and the young woman. Valka watched as Astrid tried to keep the two heads of the Zippleback from fighting, though it looked like she was having a bit of trouble. The two heads were furiously snapping at one another and the right head was leaking flammable green gas in anger. Valka crept forward, trying not to disturb the scene but wanting to understand what was going on. The left head sparked and Valka watched as Astrid rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the blast as the dragon's gas was ignited. The young woman got to her feet and dusted off her skirt before letting out a long sigh.

Astrid turned to head back toward Stormfly but started as she caught sight of Valka. She stopped in her tracks and Valka froze, unsure of what the proper social thing to do was. Though she doubted this was a situation that most social norms covered. If it were a dragon Valka would have no trouble just walking up and greeting it, but people were not dragons. And Astrid was not just some average person; she was Valka's future daughter-in-law.

Valka was relieved when Astrid took the first step and broke the silence. "What brings you out in the forest?" The question sounded odd, but Valka was just glad to have the ice broken. "And without Cloudjumper?"

"Left him back in town," Valka answered, feeling more at ease with the subject of her dragon. "The sun was up when I started walking, and he looked comfy napping so I let 'im be." Valka glanced toward the Zippleback and then to Astrid. "Training a Zippleback for a lesson?"

"No," Astrid answered, looking back to the two headed dragon. "Just training one." She shrugged and turned back to Valka. "If I needed one for lessons I'd use Barf and Belch."

"If ya don't need it for lessons why train one?" Valka was certain Astrid was happy with Stormfly, so she didn't see why the young woman would want another dragon.

"To ride," Astrid answered simply. She walked toward Stormfly and the dragon knelt slightly so her rider could get at the storage on her saddle.

"With who?" Valka was fairly sure that two riders were needed to control a Zippleback, or at least that was what she'd been told. The only person Valka could think Astrid would fly with would be Hiccup, but she was sure that he wasn't here now.

"Just me," Astrid answered, digging around in her supplies. "If I could just get Night to bond with me then I'd have no problems, but she's being a bit stubborn." She pulled her hand out of her supplies and sighed. "Out of fish."

"Night?" Valka asked, looking to the Zippleback.

"Night is the left head and Day is the right head," Astrid explained setting her hands on her hips. "I've tried almost every trick we have but nothing works on her. I tried dragon-nip, scratching, and I even fed them at the same time but Night just refused the fish."

Valka was still a little confused as to why the young rider was training the dragon to ride, but she thought it not a good time to pursue the question. "Why'd you name her Day and Night?" The topic seemed like a safe one to ease into more open discussion.

"Well her coloring, the reddish orange, reminded me of the sunset," Astrid explained, moving over to a mossy section of the ground and sitting down. "Day and Night come from my childhood, though. Day is happy, carefree, and eager. Night on the other hand is serious, cautious, and makes a deeper growl which just reminded me of the nighttime." Astrid stretched out one of her legs and leaned forward onto the knee that was still bent. "When I was a kid, our days were filled with play and I used to throw myself into training to be strong. Night was the exact opposite. During the war there were no games at night, it was serious business and you always had to be alert. Their personalities just reminded me of those times."

"It's important to give a dragon a good name; and that seems like good reasoning for theirs." Valka moved over and sat down beside the other woman, watching the Zippleback as it continued to bicker with itself. "Someday Cloudjumper should show ya how he got his name. He likes to go up to the very top of the clouds and act like they're water. Jumping from cloud to cloud, making arcs like he was a breaching Seashocker." Valka laughed at the memory of the first time Cloudjumper had done so while she was riding him. "It's a lot a fun, and he gets as happy as a babe when he does it."

"Hard to think of him being like that, knowing his regal attitude," Astrid laughed slightly and smiled. "That seems to be common with mystery class dragons. They're so powerful and look intimidating, but Toothless is nothing by a big playful ball of black scales most of the time."

"He is a very cuddly dragon," Valka agreed, having often been bumped or nuzzled by the Night Fury. "He is also very energetic, particularly in the morning. Shakes the house with his running around. Suppose Stormfly's more behaved."

"When Toothless isn't around," Astrid added. "She's fast in the sky but a calm dragon on the ground. She waits until I wake up in the morning before she opens the window to greet me, and she sits patiently during lessons. But when Toothless is around it's like they become giant kids and just want to play. The worst is they sometimes forget their size and can cause a bit of trouble."

"What kind a games do they play?" Valka asked, eager to know. Since she'd come back Hiccup and Toothless had been so busy she hadn't really seen them relax, so she wondered what a Night Fury did as play.

"Well they like to grab the same log and see who can pull it out of the other's jaws," Astrid answered, looking to the Deadly Nadder. "They really like to play chase too, which is where they can get in trouble. While in a straight line Stormfly is faster, Toothless is more agile and she tries to follow him directly. They sometimes forget they're giant reptiles and can knock a lot of things over."

Valka laughed at the thought of the two dragons running about haphazardly. "Oh, I bet they make quite the mess." She knew that Toothless was more than willing to jump about, but she'd never seen Stormfly run around without care for where her tail swayed or what her wings hit. "You've trained Stormfly well, so it's hard to envision her being careless."

"She's only that way around Toothless, otherwise she's careful," Astrid assured her. They both looked to the Nadder as Stormfly walked up and dropped a stick between them. "Though just because she's well-behaved doesn't mean she doesn't like to play." Astrid picked up the stick, cocked her arm back, and tossed it - sending it flying through the air. Valka had to admit that the young woman had a good arm as the stick vanished into the forest, Stormfly chasing after it.

"You and Stormfly are an excellent team," Valka praised. "So that makes me wonder why it is you want a Zippleback to ride. Seems you've got a fine Nadder."

"I'm not replacing Stormfly," Astrid asserted. "I'm just…" she trailed off and frowned as she looked away from Valka. "I'm a dragon trainer. So I should be able to train and ride any kind of dragon."

"The others don't seem too interested in learning to train more than one dragon," Valka observed. "They all seem just fine with only riding one dragon."

"Well they aren't Hoffersons," Astrid snapped, sounding defensive. Stormfly returned and dropped the stick before them again and Astrid grabbed it. She tossed it again and watched the Nadder race off. "The twins only care about destroying things, Snotlout is full of hot air, and Fishlegs is more into learning about dragons than actually training them. You've seen them during the lessons."

"They do seem a bit less than dedicated," Valka admitted. "But you're already better than any of them, so why?"

Astrid stared at the forest, watching for Stormfly, her gaze a bit distant. "I still have to have Hiccup tell them to show up," the woman finally said. "Snotlout and the twins are useless, don't pay attention, and sidetrack lessons. Even Fishlegs sometimes undermines me." Astrid scowled and shook her head slightly. "There was a time they would have done anything I told them to, but they just don't respect me."

"So ya think riding a Zippleback will get them to respect you?" Valka asked, trying to follow the younger woman's logic.

Astrid paused for a moment when Stormfly came back and Astrid tossed the stick again. "There was a time they respected me, would have done what I ordered them. But that was back when we fought dragons. Since Hiccup started training Toothless they don't treat me the same way. So I thought maybe if I did something even Hiccup thinks isn't possible maybe they'd respect my authority."

"Ah," Valka said, finally getting the reason at the root of the woman's goal. "I know what it's like to be in the shadow of a Haddock. Hey stand tall and cast long shadows. And despite his appearance, Hiccup does cast a particularly big shadow." Hiccup may doubt himself, but she'd seen how the people trusted him and turned to him with ease. The people of Berk had been ready for Hiccup to become Chief, even if he still didn't see that.

"I wish he could realize that," Astrid muttered. "Hiccup still acts like he could be lost in the shadow of a sapling and that everyone else towers over him." Valka nodded, familiar with her son's attitude even after so little time back. "He also doesn't understand that some things come easier to him. When we made peace with the dragons he stepped into the position of head of the academy. He doesn't understand that when the fighting stopped he was the only one that already knew his place in the world. Some of us are still figuring out exactly what we want to be now."

Valka smiled and nodded her head, getting the full picture. "I know exactly what you mean. I'm going through the same thing." Astrid looked at her and Valka could tell she was confused. "I used to dream of the day when there was peace between dragons and humans, but I don't know where I belong anymore." Valka turned her gaze to the ground and she let her smile fall as she remembered what she'd hoped for. "When Hiccup and Stoick found me again, I thought I'd just come back and be a wife and mother." She took a moment to keep herself together before she continued. "But now I can't be a wife, and I have no idea what kind of mother to be for Hiccup. He's so grown up and can take care of himself; he doesn't really need a mother anymore. So what do I do?"

"No offense, but that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid," Astrid said. Valka was trying not to be insulted, but she found the other woman's words to be rather harsh. Was she such a screw up as a mother and wife that Astrid thought her a bad example? "I don't want everything I am to be in reference to someone else. You're a strong woman, but you've come back and everything you expected to be is tied up in others." Valka now understood what Astrid meant and she felt less hurt. "I don't want to be seen as Hiccup's wife, Hiccup's second hand, or his temporary replacement at the academy. I want to be seen as Astrid. I want people to remember I was a Hofferson when I become a Haddock. I want to have a part of me that's just me."

"I thought you were head of the academy," Valka said, a bit confused. Since she'd returned to the village Astrid had been the one running the academy and all of its lessons.

"No, I'm just filling in until Hiccup gets used to being Chief," Astrid clarified. "He said that he'd come back to do lessons after he settled."

"Do ya want to head the academy?" Valka asked.

Astrid looked to the ground before replying. "Well…yeah. I feel right teaching about dragons, showing classes through demonstrations, and keeping a watch over the island. But it's not as simple as just taking over."

"How is it not?" Valka leaned toward the young woman. "I'm sure if you asked him Hiccup would hand it over."

"That would probably be the worst thing I could do right now. Hiccup is sort of delicate," Astrid started explaining. "Hiccup started the academy, it's important to him, and if I ask him to let me have full control he might take it wrong." Valka listened intently, realizing that Astrid was the one person who could teach her about Hiccup and the things no one else knew about him. "Hiccup has been afraid of not being a good Chief for years. He's doing a good job, but he still has a tendency to assume he's screwing up and he is very earnest about making Stoick proud. If I were to ask him to make me permanent head of the academy, he'll think I don't have confidence in him. He always sees it as being something wrong with him, because he doesn't always see the faults in others - particularly me. It's something I love about him, but he can't see that I struggle with finding my place, or have doubts. If I ask him to give me the academy he'll assume I don't think he can handle running it _and_ being Chief. He needs me to believe in him, particularly right now."

"I have to say, I'm glad Hiccup has a woman to care for him like you do. When you two are married I'll be more comfortable knowing I'm leaving him in your hands." Astrid smiled at the complement and Valka smiled back, feeling more at ease. She could see a lot of herself in Astrid and it made things a bit easier for her. She understood the struggles Astrid was dealing with, and she knew what it was like to love a Haddock; the sweet, but stubborn men they were. The stick was dropped between them again and Astrid tossed it absently. Valka turned and watched the Nadder and Zippleback run off into the woods. "So how does training a Zippleback help?"

"It doesn't. I'm just training it so I can prove that I can train any dragon. I was respected before because I was the most competent dragon fighter. I could fight any dragon. So to make them respect me as a trainer, I'm going to be able to train any dragon." Astrid's logic seemed to make a little sense, but Valka doubted the other riders would follow it. "Not to mention it helps with lessons. Seeing as the others don't take things serious, at least one rider has to know what they're doing."

"I suppose that would be helpful, though I'm willing to help any time you need me," Valka offered. "At least give you one other adult in the arena." They both laughed at the joke until the two dragons came crashing back into the clearing, Stormfly loudly complaining.

"Calm down," Astrid instructed, hurrying to her feet. Day hissed at the Nadder while Night stretched down and tilted her head to offer Astrid the stick. Astrid took the stick and the Zippleback took a step back, watching her intently. "So you like playing fetch?" she asked the dragon. "Well, let me tell you something. I'm a Viking, and I am a skilled axe thrower. So…" Astrid pulled her arm back and let her body lean into it. "I have quite an arm," she said as she threw the stick. It sored through the air and the two dragons stomped away after it.

"Seems you've got her attention," Valka said, amused by the dragon's playful attitude despite how difficult it was being before. "Now what are you going to do?"

"Well it's getting late, so maybe I'll bring them back to Berk and try to work up to riding them tomorrow." Astrid set her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Or I could stupidly push my luck and see if I can ride them now." Astrid smirked to herself. "Then again, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Valka smiled at the young woman's enthusiasm, sort of envying her spirit. Valka hadn't been very excited about anything since Drago's attack on her sanctuary, and she wished she could be as thrilled about something as easily as Astrid was.

The dragons came racing back and Night again leaned down to give Astrid the stick. Astrid took it and placed it on the ground, focusing fully on the dragon. She reached out her hands and the two heads sniffed at her, hesitating. The two heads looked to each other and then eased forward to press their snouts against Astrid's outstretched hands. Valka watched with a touch of pride as Astrid beamed and the Zippleback nuzzled her. She remembered when she'd grabbed Hiccup, not knowing who he was, and watching as he got the attention of a whole cave of dragons and reached out to one of the Snafflefangs. It warmed her heart to see that the new generation of Berk's Vikings first instinct when it came to dragons was to make friends, not attack on sight. She remembered Hiccup showing her how in the _Book of Dragons_ they'd removed the instructions on how to kill dragons and had replaced them with tips on how to train each species.

"Well, might as well give it a try," Astrid said, moving around the dragon's head and pushed on one of the necks to bring it toward the other. Getting the idea, the dragon linked its necks together using its special scales. Astrid then moved up to the base of the heads and grabbed onto one of the horns in the center and pulled herself up. "That wasn't so hard," she said as she settled into place on the linked necks. "Want a ride back?" Astrid offered.

"How could I say no," Valka said, moving to the body of the dragon and climbing aboard. She had to sit at the base of the creature's necks and placed her legs were the necks branched off. "Just take it easy," she requested, hoping she'd stay on.

"I'll try, but I've never flown one of these before." Astrid paused for a moment before grabbing each of the outside horns. "Up," she instructed, and Valka could see her gently pulling down on the horns. Night and Day spread their wings and did as they were instructed, rising up into the air. Astrid took them up a good distance before leveling out. Valka watched, fascinated as Astrid switched to gripping the two inner horns and pulling them as one to the correct the dragon's flight direction so they were headed to Berk. The young woman seemed to adapt easily to the task and appeared relaxed. When they reached the village thier landing was a bit rough, but for a first time riding a Zippleback solo Valka was impressed with how well Astrid had done.

Valka slid down from the dragon's back at the doorstep to her home. "Thank you for the ride home. Would have taken hours to walk back." Just then the door to the house opened up and Valka turned to see her son. "Didn't think you'd be home so early, Hiccup" she commented.

"Gobber fell off a roof and knocked himself out, so the meeting was postponed," Hiccup informed her, his eyes focused on the Zippleback. "Who is that?"

"This is Night and Day," Astrid answered, patting each of the heads as she said their names. "Just a new friend of mine."

"You're trying to force us to build stables just for you and all your friends, aren't you?" Hiccup joked, taking a step toward the Zippleback.

"You caught me," Astrid teased back in a way that painfully reminded Valka of her younger days with Stoick. "Maybe you could build roosts all along the rock up to Gothie's. I'll just live up there, and in the morning I'll jump off my porch in the direction of whichever dragon I'm going to ride that day."

Night and Day dipped their heads down as Hiccup moved to stand beside them. "It's a deal," Hiccup said with a wide grin and small laugh. "And when you jump to a dragon that's still asleep, Toothless and I will be there to catch you." Hiccup leaned over and quickly kissed her cheek.

"Lucky me," Astrid joked as she laughed to herself.

Hiccup set his hand on hers that was gripping one of the dragon's horns. "You're amazing," he said quietly. It was a sweet moment and Valka watched, letting the old memories of her own maiden days come back. The scene didn't last, though, as Toothless came bolting out of the house. The black dragon turned to run to Stormfly, but his tail smacked into Hiccup, causing the heads of the two young Vikings to slam together. "Toothless!" Hiccup complained as his hand went to his forehead.

Valka couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing as the two dragons ignored their riders, caught up in greeting each other. "I see what you meant," Valka managed as her laughter calmed.

"Toothless has been like that all day," Hiccup complained. "You took Stormfly away, so he's been running all over the place with nothing to do."

"I don't see how that's my problem," Astrid said with a smug grin on her face. Night and Day raised their heads and Astrid turned around to face the Deadly Nadder. "Stormfly!" The blue-and-yellow dragon turned her attention to her rider. "Come home when you get bored of him," Astrid instructed before she looked back to the two humans. "Goodnight, Valka. I'll see you tomorrow, Chief."

"Have a good evening," Valka said, nodding to the other woman.

"Until tomorrow, m'lady." Hiccup bowed slightly and Astrid urged Night and Day up. Valka's attention then turned to her son, who was still watching the vanishing dragon. There was a soft smile on his face and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Valka was sure that she could have gone inside and he would have remains standing there - if not for Toothless. The pair of dragons raced past him and the Night Fury knocked Hiccup's leg out from under him and he fell to the ground.

Valka chuckled and moved over to help her son up. Hiccup took the hand Valka offered and let her pull him back to his feet. "Hopefully he'll work off some of that energy."

"We can only hope," Hiccup said as he dusted himself off. "I'm glad you're home, mom. I've got a project I need your help with." Hiccup lead the way back into the house and he showed her to where he had drawings laid out on the table. Valka looked over the designs and realized what he was making. "Maybe you can tell me what it's missing."

Valka smiled and sat down at the table. "First tell me what you've already got, and I'll tell you what you need."


End file.
